Travel. Music. Lifestyle design.

Jake Nix: Strange Creature

When I was younger, I would sit around with my talented friends and roommates and we would pass acoustic guitars around and take turns playing our hearts out for each other. I wanted to capture that intimate moment sharing something personally special with people you’re close to and put it on record to share with anyone. Three of those close friends and I went out into the woods of the Pacific Northwest and recorded a five song folk rock album live, with no metronome or click track, to capture the human side of music: sweet, passionate, and wholly imperfect. This is a “living room record.” Influences include The Swell Season, Glen Hansard, Frank Turner, Ben Howard, Van Morrison, and Elliott Smith.

If you’d like to buy this EP, first of all I love you. Like, really. Come here. Let me give you a hug. If you’d like a physical copy of the CD, contact me and I’ll get one to you. For an electronic copy, please refer to this link. Both physical and electronic are only $5.

I had some incredible help making this record. I have fantastically talented friends who do a great job of making me sound good. Joe Izenman is not only my cousin, but one of my best friends. He played piano on this record and fills so much of the sonic space that I don’t think these songs would be nearly the same without him. Nathan Gendron plays drums and plugged right into the ideas we were trying to express, adding to and changing the landscape but preserving the message. Tor Caspersen produced this record and played violins. He’s a good friend and a better producer, a consummate professional and genuinely good-hearted person. He locked onto the idea I was trying to express right from the start. We tracked this in two days, and the four of us killed a bottle of scotch each day, the way a record like this should be made.

The cover art features some really cool double exposure stuff from Tacoma local photographer (and former bandmate!) Matt Staerk. You can find more of his stuff HERE.

I worked hard on this record and I’m so glad to share it with you. Music and expression are so important. Thanks for taking an interest. I hope these songs are a conduit through which we can connect.